Pilot studies in this laboratory have demonstrated that genetic factors play a major role in conditioning host responses to thermal injury, and have identified inbred rat strains which are highly resistant and others which are extremely susceptible to the lethal effects of major skin burns. The data have suggested new experimental models for the assessment of mechanisms of cell damage in severe burns, with particular reference to: (1) definition of the genetics of host resistance and/or susceptibility to thermal injury; (2) identification of those alterations in function of immunologically competent cells which may be directly associated with increased host susceptibility to injury; (3) isolation of humoral factors which may alter host resistance or susceptibility to severe burns; (4) search for adoptive transfer techniques designed to protect highly susceptible hosts from the lethal effects of thermal injury. The proposed studies are based upon a close collaborative arrangement between the Surgical Laboratories at SUNY and the Department of Pathology Laboratories in Pittsburgh, combining the SUNY experience in burns research with the skills and facilities of the Pittsburgh World Reference Center for Rat Immunogenetics. This collaborative effort has already resulted in the pilot evidence of the role of genetic factor(s) in conditioning host responses to severe burns.